Land acquisition will be made easier: Government assures industry

New Delhi: Lending her ears to the industry on problems faced by it in acquiring land, Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday said the government will consult all stakeholders to make the land acquisition law "an enabler, rather than a stifler".

The Commerce and Industry Minister said that the industry has been voicing concerns that the existing Land Acquisition Act makes it almost impossible for them to acquire land.

"...If that is how difficult it is made for acquiring land, certainly we are as a government committed to see what best can be done because it cannot stifle the very reason for which it has been brought.

"There is work going on, I am sure the government will come up with something in consultation with all stakeholders on how this Act can be made an enabler rather than a stifler," Sitharaman said at Indian Economic Conclave.

The Land Acquisition Bill, which was passed during the previous UPA regime with then opposition BJP supporting it, seeks to set a fair compensation for farm land being taken over for industrial projects.

However, concerns have been raised from various quarters that the law has made land acquisition very difficult and was slowing projects. Some states have also come out openly against the law, saying it had adversely impacted the process of acquiring land for infrastructure projects.

The Rural Development Ministry has already suggested a number of amendments to the Land Acquisition Act that will water down provisions such as mandatory consent of at least 70 percent locals for acquiring land for PPP projects, and 80 percent for private projects.